God sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint Saul’s replacement when he determined to remove Saul from his kingship over Israel. At the time Samuel did not know who the new king would be. When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s son, he said “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him” (I Samuel 16:6). Evidently, Eliab had a very impressive appearance, and Samuel was convinced that he was God’s choice. However, God saw things differently.
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature: because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). Did you catch that? God’s viewpoint is different than man’s viewpoint. The LORD “seeth not as man seeth.” Man sees the outside, but God knows the heart. That is what matters to God and what should matter to us!
Man categorizes people along lines that he can see and openly discern. He separates people, for example, by skin color (yellow, black, white, etc.), ethnicity (Italian, Spanish, Jewish, etc.), gender (male, female) and other visible features (hair color, height, etc.). God is certainly mindful of these distinctions. After all, he created each of them and gave to every individual his or her own unique characteristics. But what matters to God is the heart.
The Psalmist asked this question, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1). In other words, who will abide with God in his presence? We might even put it this way since God dwells in heaven. Who will dwell in heaven with God? The LORD’s answer is in keeping with what he told Samuel. “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:2).
Solomon wrote “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:6-7). Solomon through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit recognized that a man’s heart determines his behavior. Consequently, to walk uprightly and to work righteousness begins in the heart. Jesus himself taught “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35).
The Psalmist adds “He that speaketh the truth in his heart.” To speak the truth in one’s heart is to agree with God concerning Jesus Chris, his Son. Jesus declared “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). One cannot deny Christ as Savior and Lord and still speak the truth in his heart. John wrote “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (I John 2:23).
God does not see as man sees. He looks on the heart. “He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (I John 5:12). Christ is the dividing line in God’s eyes, not skin color, ethnicity, or gender. Do you speak the truth in your heart?
From the Chaplain 